Shedding Skin
by lostsoul512
Summary: ((cowritten by my dear friend Bekah)) Estella and Amelia find themselves trapped in Bristol, where they encounter love, loss, friends and a hell of a lot of partying.


Estella:

I bet you're waiting for a long sob story

Of how I was mistreated again

But, no, I wasn't built that way

I was strong and desperately brave

-Schizophrenia, Blue October-

Someone said once that the loneliest moment in someone's life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly. I'd never believed it until then. But there I was, tugging at the hem of my sweater and trying desperately not to fall apart.

You're probably wondering how I wound up here. To tell the truth, I've been asking myself that same question. I used to be that girl everyone adored. The one all the boys wanted and all the girls wanted to be. But that was before…all of this happened.

Let me think. It all started when I arrived in Bristol. Like most stories worth telling, there was a girl and a boy and a million broken hearts. That's all Bristol was, really. A city for the heartbroken and the heartless. I was never quite sure where I fell.

Anyway, the sun was shining that day, so it was easy for me to believe everything would go according to plan. The taxi pulled up to a vaguely familiar house, a painted red door. Red, the color of blood. Oh, how I wish I'd have seen the signs and realized just how much blood would be shed that year. Clutching to the handles of my black designer purse, I stepped out of the car onto the pavement.

Bristol was so quaint and quiet, not at all like the buzz of London I'd become so accustom to. But my parents had up and decided to move to the states, and apparently their sixteen year old daughter didn't fit into those plans. So there I was, standing nervously outside the blood red door and forcing a smile. I mean, really, how bad could it be? I was Estella Stonem. And our family always, always came out on top.

Trying not to teeter over in my five inch black satin heels, I hoisted my duffle bag over my shoulder and approached the door. _No turning back now_, I thought with a slight sigh. Then, slowly, I raised my hand to knock.

After that, everything was like a blur of motion. The door swung inward, and out stepped a tiny girl with long brown hair. She let out a squeal and tackled me, wrapping her slender arms around me in a tight hug. Giggled, I dropped my bags and hugged her back. "Hey, Eff," I murmured into her hair. My cousin and I had always been close; she was sort of like the sister I'd never had. I was actually pretty excited about getting to live with her, even if it was because my own family had decided they didn't need me anymore.

Effy pulled away, brushing her hair out of her face. "Hello, Estella," she greeted cheerily. She was wearing jeans and a shirt for some band I'd never heard of. Instantly she reached out to take my hand in hers, our fingers locking together. I realized in that moment that Effy was the only family I had now, and that meant that we would never be torn apart. "We're going to have loads of fun, yeah?"

I smiled at her, the first real smile that had graced my lips in ages. "Totally," I replied. I could only hope those words would prove true.

XXX

Effy led me up the stairs of her house, gushing all about her friends and how totally perfect this year would be. I was only pretending to listen, though, trailing behind her. My mind was mostly on other things, like how I was going to have to meet people and make friends of my own. Back in London, I'd had tons of friends. Here, I was just another nobody.

"This'll be your room," Effy said suddenly, stopping in her tracks. I nearly ran right into her, I was so caught off guard. I stared into the open doorway, into the empty room. There was an unmade bed and a dresser, but that was all. Nothing personal, nothing to show that any sort of life actually inhabited the place. "It used to be Tony's room," Effy explained, referring to my older cousin who was now off at university.

Brushing past her, I stepped inside and threw my bag onto the bed. It would take some work, but I was sure I could manage to make the room feel like home. Looking back over my shoulder, I smiled at my cousin. "This is perfect, Eff," I said. "Thank you." Nodding in return, she took her leave, and then I was alone again.

Closing the door, I kicked off my heels and let out a sigh. So, this was home now. It certainly didn't feel like home. Then again, I wasn't entirely sure I knew what home felt like. But I knew one thing: I was not going to let this unexpected turn of events bring my down. Somehow I would find a way to pull through this. I was strong and desperately brave. And I was a Stonem. That had to count for something.


End file.
